1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for fibred high-resolution fluorescence imaging, in particular confocal imaging. The intended field of application is more particularly that of in vivo and in situ imaging.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the state of the art, the following fluorescence methods and apparatus have been described.
In an article in “Applied Optics”, Vol. 38, No. 34, December 1999, pages 7133-7144, is presented a confocal microendoscope using a bundle of flexible optical fibres and equipped at its distal end with a miniature optical focussing head; it is provided to scan the bundle of optical fibres in lines, the apparatus comprising a detection slit as well as a CCD linear detector of the charge-transfer type. With an apparatus of this type 4 images/s can be obtained, which is too slow for in situ imaging dependent on the movement of the subject and of the operator. Moreover, the fact of scanning in lines and not point by point degrades the confocal character and leads to a less well resolved image.
In an article in “Optics Communication”, 188 (2001), pages 267-273, is presented the coupling of a confocal laser scanning desktop microscope with a bundle of flexible optical fibres which is equipped at its distal end with a miniature optical head. The desired aim is to make the microscope compatible with an endoscope. The scanning is carried out fibre by fibre but the desktop microscope used is of standard design, designed to display a fixed specimen without concern for the time taken to obtain an image. An exposure time of 2 seconds is proposed in this article, much too long for a real-time in situ imaging.